Toy electrosteam engine



Jim. 8 1924.

S. D. HORLACHER ET AL TOY ELEQTRO STEAM ENGINE Filed March 13i.- 1922 WITNESSES William EH2)! A TTOHNEVS Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

soo'rr DEILY HORLACHER AND WILLIAM EDWIN HORLACHEB, 0F TUNKHANNOCK,

PENNSYLVANIA. I l

TOY ELECTROSTEAM ENGINE.

Application filed March 13, 1922.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that We, Sco'r'r D. HoRLAoHnn and WILLIAM E, HonLAoi-rnn, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Tunkhannock, in the county of Wyoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Toy Electrosteam En gine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in toys and it pertains more particularly to toys of a mechanical type.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a miniature steam engine in which the steam is generated by means of an electrically heated unit.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a toy of the miniature steam engine type in which the element of safety by the use of an electrically heated element is greater than in toys of this character in which flame is used to generate the steam.

It is a further object of the invention to so construct a toy of this character that the speed of the engine may be controlled by varying the amount of heat presented to the water from which the steam is formed and thereby regulate the volume and pressure of the steam generated.

It is a further object of the invention to so construct a toy of this character that in case of deterioration of the heating element the same may be renewed without necessitating the purchase of a new complete toy.

\Vith the above and other objects in view, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the views, and in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a toy constructed in accordance with the present invention, a portion thereof being shown in horizontal section, and

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation of the toy.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference character 5 designates a base, and mounted on said base in any suitable manner is a steam generator 6 in the form of a boiler. This steam generator or boiler 6 is provided with a valve opening closed by a cap 7 by means of which water is introduced to the interior thereof. The ref- Serial No. 543,506.

erence character 8 designates the cylinder of the toy engine, and 9 designates the valve chest thereof.

Leading from the upper portion of the steam generator or boiler 6, is a pipe 10, and said pipe 10 establishes communication between the steam generator or boiler 6 and the valve chest 9 of the engine 8 and serves to supply steam generated in the steam generator or boiler 6 to the engine.

Mounted internally of the steam generator or boiler 6, is a tube 11, the inner end 12 of which is closed. The outer end of this tube is open and forms the means by which a coil or other suitable electric heating element 13 may be introduced into the tubular member 11. This coil 13 receives its power by means of wires 14, which in turn may be connected to any suitable source of supply, such, for example, as a lamp socket or the like. The heatingelement 13 may be any of the various types of coils used for this purpose and may be constructed for use with either direct or alternating current of various voltages. The heating element may also be varied in size for use in connecting with various sized toy engines.

The device operates in the following manner:

tubular member 11 of the steam generator or boiler 6, and the current is turned on. As the water in the steam generator or boiler 6 becomes hot and steam is generated, said steam passes from the steam generator or boiler 6 to the valve chest 9 by way of the pipe 10. When it is desired to slow up the speed of the engine, it is only necessary to partially withdraw the coil from the tubular member 11 and the volume of the steam generated will be reduced as will also the pressure thereof, thus causing the engine to operate at reduced speed.

While in the present instance the device has been shown and described as a stationary engine of the reciprocating type, it is obvious that the device ma be in the form of a turbine or as a toy locomotive by feeding the current supply to the heating element through the rails over which the locomotive travels. Furthermore, the speed of the engine may be regulated by means of a transformer or resistance coil in the current The heating element 13 is inserted in the and arrangement of the parts may be adopted Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

As an article of manufacture a toy com p ising a steam engine, a steam generator, a tubular member mounted Within the steam generator, and an electric heating element adapted to be received Within said tubular member and retained therein in adjusted position, the position of the heating element relative to the tubular member determining the volume and pressure of the steam generated therein, and thus determine the speed of operation of the engine.

SCOTT DEILY HORLACHER. WILLIAM EDWIN I-IORLACHERI 

